Silent Sustainable Slick Super Mouse - Logitech M650 L Review
When my last mouse died I turned to the Logitech M650 L to dramatically upgrade my mouse experience and am a bit stunned at how much better computing feels.
I'm A Little Bit Stupid
Let's rewind a bit. I am admittedly not the smartest of tech users. Since its introduction, I've vehemently stayed away from Bluetooth. What's blue about it? And why the hell is a tooth involved?
Whenever the technology enabled itself on my phone, such as after an update, my mind would race with images of radioactive signals floating haphazardly around the air draining my cells from my brain. Don't even get me started on the prospect of a digital watch or earbuds.
Of course what's stupid is that I use Wi-Fi on a daily basis!
Slowly, I've been softening my stance, and am learning that the conveniences are pretty remarkable, if not outright fun.
Having recently embarked on a lengthy journey, far away from the comforts of home, I've been forced to re-evaluate my illogical fear further. Well, that's not entirely true. I began looking for a new mouse not because of the inconvenience of having to plug my existing, weathered, 10 year old paperweight, but because the poor thing finally died.
So many choices
As the old folks say - times were simpler in the old days; the options were massively limited in comparison a decade ago. But less choices don't equate to better products. Competition and a mature sector result in better choices. There have been considerable advancements not just in mouse technology and the interfaces behind them, but more importantly the ergonomics they are designed with.
Logitech
My search extended far and wide. Look long enough and you can probably get a mouse for next to nothing. But there's always a tradeoff, no reviews, clunky quality, or abandoned support. Logitech always kept coming up as a strong contender.
Did you know that Logitech is a 40 year old Swiss company? I certainly didn't. In an age of dropship manufactuers and fly by night accessory makers, it's quite comforting to have access to a company that has been in the game for decades. But age alone isn't really enough.
Sustainability Is Important!
In the absence of being able to test one out beforehand, what really sealed the deal for me was Logitech's sustainability commitments. They've got a 1.5c climate pledge and are making efforts towards carbon labeling, neutrality, net zero, and even climate positive.
The company has a great page on how they're using recycled plastics in their accessories - dry stuff, but worth a read, or at least useful to know that they're working to make these kinds of improvements.
Words are words of course, nothin gmore, but the company's achievements are outlined and I'll take words and efforts over absolutely no effort which is what you get with nearly all other accessory makers.
The M650 L
Logitech has a lot of options, left handed mice, trackball mice, small mice, big mice, and even emoji mice (yes really). I went with the M650 because it had the best balance of portability and ergonomics. Oh, and because the battery life is rated for 24 months, and because it's compatible with Linux (and iPadOS and Chrome OS and...)!
The L in M650 L means it's a bit larger than their standard M650 which is a very important feature for bigger hands; hand cramping and carpal tunnel sucks!
I went with the Graphite model because the plastic parts in it include 64% post consumer recycled plastic!
What's Outside and Inside
I was relieved to find that the packaging was completely recylable and also thoughtfully easy to open. All the included paperwork is both recycled and recyclable.
Set up was a breeze - open up the mouse to allow the single AAA Duracell battery (not some cheapo brand) make its connection and also to take out the included LOGI BOLT USB receiver. Plug the receiver in, flick the switch, and you're up and running in under 30 seconds from the time you open the box.
Fast and Silent
Straight away I noticed two things - the clicks are absolutely silent and the response time is incredibly fast.
When I say the response is fast I mean just that. It actually feels as though my computer is faster. Obviously the mouse isn't speeding up my computer, but the time from me clicking to that action taking place is noticeably faster than with my previous wired mouse.
As a musician, the silent click, or rather, lack of a click, is greatly appreciated. There are two programmable buttons and a buttery smooth scrollwheel, 100% of what I need, 0% of what I don't.
It Feels Great
I knew I'd appreciate the convenience of a wireless mouse but I wasn't prepared for an improvement in the entire experience. Everything feels snappier, gentler, almost soft.
The weight is perfectly balanced between optimal heft without being burdensome. And it fits my hand like a glove; one size does not fit all, kudos for being aware of that, Logitech.
Gliding around on my desk is smooth as satin, as is the scrollwheel, perfectly placed exactly where it needs to be. It's my first new mouse in a decade but there was no adjustment necessary on my part, everything just, well, clicked.
My last mouse, a Microsoft paperweight, was cheap and functional, there was no love in it. It's hard to describe how dramatically improved my mousing feels now.
Best of the Best?
Is the Logitech M650 L the best mouse? It is for me. It was inexpensive, from a progressive company being mindful of the environment, and it feels and functions wonderfully.
